The Most Stupid Decision In History

Be open-minded. Be adventurous.

If you ask historians what the most influential innovation in human history is, many will tell you it is the printing press by Johannes Guttenberg. Johannes gave the world one of the greatest gifts in 1440. The invention of the printing press marked a pivotal moment in history, initiating a wave of changes that would forever alter the course of civilization.

What did the printing press lead to? Before the advent of the printing press, books were meticulously hand-copied by scribes. This laborious process made books rare, expensive, and accessible only to the elite and religious institutions. The printing press, however, enabled the rapid and cost-effective production of books. This democratization of access to written material made literature and scholarly works available to a broader audience, fostering a more informed and educated public. It led to the standardization of knowledge; it fostered the reformation, the scientific revolution, the rise of newspapers, and the expansion of literature. In short, the printing press led to the modern age.

But you know what? This innovation should have changed the world before the 15^th century.

So, what happened? What stopped it?

This story begins in China. In the 11^th century, China had already developed the printing press. A Chinese man, Bi Sheng, invented the movable type during the Song Dynasty in the eleventh century. During these years, China was the leader of the world in terms of development. Prominent historian Prof. Niall Ferguson wrote about this era, saying, “China’s dominance was evident long before the West began its rise. During the Middle Ages, the Chinese had already surpassed their European counterparts in various fields, including trade, technology, and economic organization.” From "Civilization: The West and the Rest" (2011).

In another book, "The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World" (2008), he writes, “China was not merely a great power in the past, but a global superpower in the medieval period. Its economic and technological advancements, including the invention of paper money, gunpowder, and the compass, were unmatched by any contemporary civilization.”

By the time Europe was just still in the Dark Ages, the Chinese were already enjoying the most advanced civilization on the whole earth. While Europeans were fighting local wars, Admiral Zheng He was leaving the shores of China for an exploration that no European of that era could comprehend. It was unparalleled. His expeditions lasted from 1405 to 1433. Zheng He’s fleet was a colossal assembly of up to 300 ships at its zenith. The centerpiece of this fleet was the "treasure ships," which were among the largest wooden ships ever constructed. These ships were estimated to be up to 120 meters (394 feet) in length, significantly larger than any contemporary European vessels. Each expedition involved a vast crew, numbering up to 27,000 men, including sailors, soldiers, and various specialists. Zheng He’s fleet traversed the Indian Ocean, reaching as far as the East African coast, the Arabian Peninsula, and numerous ports across Asia. These voyages were not only significant in their geographic scope but also in their demonstration of China’s naval and economic reach.

If this were so, what happened to China? Why is it that it was Europeans, not Chinese, that led the modern world? Why is it that the Reformation, the Renaissance, and the birth of the modern age happened in Europe, not China?

Generated with Meta AI

There was one decision. I call it the most stupid decision in human history.

One day, a certain Emperor Yongle decided to close China to the world. He stopped all foreign expeditions, stopped all foreign relations, and ensured that any Chinese that interacted with the world was punishable by death. This policy was continued by the emperors after him. And so, the world was denied the developments that China had already developed. But that wasn’t all. By closing itself against the world, China also began to stagnate. If you don’t move up, you will surely move down. There was no stimulation for growth, there was no incentive to build new things, and there was no competition from outsiders. So, China stood still in time until it was eventually forcefully opened during the Opium Wars of the 1800s.

The closing of China was not just a disaster for China. It was a disaster for the whole world. Europe would not have needed to develop many of the things it developed after the Renaissance. Paper, printing, gunpowder, the compass, and advanced techniques in ceramics, silk production, and astronomy. All these were advanced in China. China would have shared with the world as it interacted with the world. And it is possible that a strong China could have prevented the advent of European power and conquest that led to massive slavery, colonialism, and various other evils that happened between then and the 21^st century. Two superpowers would have been forced to balance out.

So yeah, it was the most stupid decision that has implications both for individuals and for nations. Never close yourself to the world. Never settle. Never close the doors of your life to others. Be open-minded. Be adventurous.

The one upside of that decision by the emperor is that most of the world speaks English, not Chinese. I would probably be writing this in Chinese, not English. Do you know how many characters the Chinese language has? There are thousands of Chinese characters, with estimates ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 characters. Even for fellow Asians like Koreans and Japanese, the Chinese language is hard. Thank God, we were spared that effort.

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